Fluid control and distributor unit



April 10, 1956 H. l. POOR 2,741,265

FLUID CONTROL. AND DISTRIBUTOR UNIT Filed Oct. 17, 1950 INVENTOR. Henry I. Poor,

ATTORNEY United States Patent ce 35123312:

wnthe.variousparts of the imitrin operative connected rela- 1 tionship. Basically, l-thezzunit comprises aadistributor-tA ,and a-powec device as generally indicated at B.

i 2 741,265 The distributor, generally comprises a pair-ofwcooperar 5 tively associated plate members. 11-*;=and-.12which 1are CONTROL- DFS'IRIBUTQR UNlT supportedin cooperative -relationshipvforHelativeprotav s tivemovement-with ttheir-confrontingafaces in:.--intimate Henry Poor west'lafayette .contact. -In,thepresent instance;i.the.iplate member :11:-,is

i: Application October 17, 1950, Serial Net-194L469 disclosed {as beingstationary, this-member beingr'seeured lo-tttoijthe base ,structureslfl as by screws 13.

The -.plate member 12 is rotatably' supportednpon; a shaft 14 which :extends, through; appropriate apertures in l'Claim. (CI. 137 62511) the plate members. One endaofethe. shaft -14; isrprovi'ded 1 with a head 15. which bears-against ascoil; spring 16 ha'ving TIhe.presentinventionrelates generally. toapparatus for its-otherendin engagement withthe-outer-race of ananti- ,Lthegselectivecontrol and distribution; of a fluid; and is .friction-bearing 17. Ih i race. offithjs,- beapi ga ,irnore, particularly concerned withapparatus, by. means of gages against-the adjacent wallaofiplatemember: 12. t The ..,which asectionalized applicator. unit may beinfiated and opposite.-end .of shaft 14risathreaded-to:receive a: nute18 exha usted according to predetermined cycles in? the treatwhich bears against a--washerfl8uwhichsis1interposed-eboment of certain vasculartdiseases in which. there exists 20 .t.ween the nut andsthe adjacentwalllof member 11. By deficient or impaired circulation, as in the limbs-of a huadjusting the nut1 8,v itwill--be;apparentvthat the'pressure tbody,.,and the caseof certain muscular'conditions. between .the ,contactingafaces .ofvthe-tplate-members 11=-and .An/applicator oftthe'above mentioned type; is described til-may be adjusted and that -the .spring"16, normally acts i d f fl inmy ending applicationentitled fTherapeutrto bias :the rotatable plate member 12 Juan axial direction .IticApparattisjlSerial No. 2 1,769, filed April,-19, -1948,-of tow rd-p enlember -11.

.which the.presentapplication is aricontinuationein-part, Asshowmin Fig- 3, the plate-member, 11 is provided now Patent No: 2,533,504, issued December 12, 1950. with a-pIuraIityof passageslfiopening intoits confronting ntb i my applicator as described inthe above men- '.face these zpassages beingin communicationwith eontioned application, comprises a-casing which may :be-ses n cilonwtupplesifitinteachtcase which project-'fromr-ihe ,nuredaroundthe limb or part of the bodytto be treated; OIJPQSite Side of the P d P fil s jll'theicasingrbe'ing made up of a plurality ogseparatejmbular t ttor tlexible...tub ular connectors s2l,cresp.ectively,-for indi- ..,bands having independent connections by whichthe bands vidually conn n tithe-severalbands-aofethee app i or ,gmayl b i fl df d h t V t dev ce witlnthe .control unit described herein. 7

LIL is. an object :of the present invention,tthere fore, to l gh imthepresent disclosure; the-passages i19-tare provide improved apparatus for controllingtheloperatjon shown, as being:circumferentially spacedz about thershaft Lof the respective .bands in such avmanner-that aperiph- 1 s an axis, and with a considerable gap betweemthe terallyextending band of constrictive pressure will-beapf endmost p s g -19, 1it1is contemplated that Tplied to'.,the portion of thelimb to bertreated, and wherein $01116 arrangements it y si ab e tori-have; the

jythis bandof pressure will be translatedalong thelimb by p gesgm arr ng i a uniform p ndahe v advancing the zone of pressureapplication, whilem'ain- 4i) Shaft taining and at no time releasing the constrictive pressure As iShOWlliI'l ,4 18 plate member-12,12 has itsconduringisuch translation until theend'ofithe'treated portion frontingf e "pr vided with a. plurality. of- 'arcuatea slots of the limb is eached. ,At.such time pressure may in end-to ehd relation, OIlB Of thCSfislots, 22, --being-.=0f be released and,immediately or'after a lapse of a predetervely. shortalen g and the-other slot 23,.- beingof .:-ininedtime interval,--another band "of constrictive presrelatively?greaterlength. mltwill be notedtthat rthetslot i suretmay be applied and translated along the limb-portion -1 connected, thmllgh all'adially extending 1 838 24 cycle ft e t t .withan annular grooveor slot.25-vwhich is in concentric F rth bjects.ofhtherinvenfion 'wflkbe b u h i relation.surroundrngltheshaft axisnandcso positioned-as ethe following-partofthespecification,'-wherein 'detailed t a t-m ntmlw communications with sp rep a i idescription is for thepurposeoffully disclosing preferred 26. t he eohfronting-facev f l member, :11 The embodiments-of-the-invention Withoutplacingrlimitations opening. 26 wconnectstwith a passage 27: which externally i tha scope i i mi connects; with anipple 28 atone sideof the ipIateIL-Ethis 1" Referring to the-accompanying draw n s, which'are'for $9 1 3 Pmyidingwnnectingemeansi for-ecomlectinglt'he I illustrative Purposes only; dev1cenwith a suitable-source: of..fiuidpressureasnpply.

Fig.1-is asideelevationalviewof a fluid pressurejconiThesislot .23 communicates-with: a plllralityzofyz'port -xtrol .and distribution unitembodyingthe features of-'the openingszfi which-extend throughitherlplatamembenin present invention; and connect the slot 23 with atmosphere.

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the unit; With the foregoing arrangement, rotation of plate mem- Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, taken substantially her 12 will successively move the slots 22 and 23 over on line 33 of Fig. 1; and the passages 19, fluid pressure being supplied to the pas- Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view, taken substantially sages 19 which are in connection or communication with on line 4-4 of Fig, 1. slot 22,'and those passages 19 which are in communica- Referring now particularly to the drawings, a unit action with slot 23 being vented to atmosphere. cording to the present invention is generally illustrated in It will be observed that the length of slot 23 is such Fig. 1. In practice, it is contemplated that this unit will as to be capable of simultaneous communication with be supported upon a portable standard (not shown), or a plurality of passages 19, and in the arrangement illusin a cabinet along with associated control devices, and trated the slot 23 is of sufficient length to extend over all that fluid pressure of air or other suitable fluid will be of the passages 19 at the same time. The slot 22, on conducted to the control and distribution unit from a the other hand is of such length as to extend over several suitable supply source. of the passages 19 at the same time, and has been shown In the disclosed construction, the unit is supported upon in the present instance as being of sufiicient length to a suitable base structure 10 which is arranged to support simultaneously encompass three of the passages 19.

endmost passages 19, it will be apparent that as the slot 22 is moved from this interval, the first three passages '19 will be successively connected to the .fluid pressure,

all three being simultaneously connected to the fluid pressure supply.' Consequently, the first three sections of the applicator will under these conditions be supplied and inflated by fluid pressure. I

As relative rotation is continued between the plate members 11 and 12, passages 19 will be successively connected with slot 22 in the direction of rotation and successively disconnected in the opposite direction, but at least one passage 19 will remain connected so as to maintain one of the applicator sections connected to the group of passages 19 which are in connection with slot 22. Thus, one applicator section will at all times be inflated, so as to apply a holding pressure therein. This holding pressure is constantly maintained, but is translated or advanced along the sections of the applicator and the portion of the body being treated, in the same manner as passages 19 are connected at one end of slot 22 and disconnected at the opposite end of slot 22.

This continues until the slot 22 starts moving into the space interval, at which time the last passages 19 will be successively disconnected from communication with slot 22. Consequently, movement of slot 22 over the space interval will form a dwell period, during which there will be no fluid pressure supplied to the sections of the applicator unit. At the end of this dwell period, the cycle will again be repeated. The passages 19 which are not in communication with slot 22 will be in communication withslot 23, and thus vented to atmosphere, so that these sections will be deflated.

In order to prevent a building up of pressure in slot 22 during time of its passage through the space interval, atmospheric bleed ports 30 are provided in the path of travel of slot 22, these bleed ports opening into the confronting face of plate member 11 and being connected through the plate with atmosphere.

As previously stated, it may be desirable to utilize cyclic translation of constrictive pressure from one end of the limb being treated to the other, the cycle being immediately commenced upon completion without an inactive or dwell period between each cycle as previously explained. In such cases, the fluid pressure control and distribution unit may be constructed with a uniform interval between the passages 19, in which case the cycle will be immediately repeated without going through a dwell period.

The power device in this instance is disclosed as comprising an electric motor 31 having an energizing circuit 32 which is selectively connectible to operate the motor in reversed directions of rotation. The motor is provided with a fan 33 for circulating cooling air, and is connected to speed reducing means 34 which delivers power to a driving shaft 35 at relatively low speed. This shaft is connected through a universal coupling 36 with a connection bracket 37 of generally U -shaped construction, this bracket straddling the projecting head of shaft 14 and the associated spring 16. The legs of the bracket are secured to the plate member 12 by means of securing screw 38.

As an example of the speed of operation and cycle time for the equipment described herein, it may be stated that a time cycle has been utilized which requires two seconds from the time of initial inflation of the first section of the applicator until the inflation of the last section, the total cycle requiring a time of three seconds to complete. As a general rule, the speed of rotation of the plate member 12 will be slower when a rest period is included between the cycles than when the treatment is given without a rest period. In the first case, a speed of approximately 20 R. P. M. has been utilized, and in the latter, a speed of approximately R. P. M. This difierence in speed may be obtained in any suitable manner.

As shown in Fig.3, provision is made for introducing a lubricant to the confronting faces of the plate members 11 and 12. For such purpose, an oil cup 39 is mounted at the upper end of plate member 11, this cup communieating with a passage 40 which connects with an annular groove 41 which opens into the confronting face of plate member 11 and is normally filled with a suitable packing 42 which regulates flow of lubricant between the confront- 7 ing faces of the plate members.

I claim:

A fluid pressure control and distribution unit, comprising: rotary valves means including a pair of plate members supported for relative rotation, said plate members having confronting faces in contact; a first shaft supported by one of said members for longitudinal movement therein and projecting through the other of said members to form a support therefor; a coil spring surrounding said shaft for resiliently maintaining the confronting faces of said members under pressure contact, one of said spring ends being anchored with respect to said shaft; anti-fricr tion means interposed between the other end of said spring and said other plate member; a driving shaft axially aligned with said first shaft, said driving shaft being positioned on the same side of the assembled plate members as the spring, and having a driving-connection with said other plate member; and means operable from the oppd site side of the assembled plate members for longitudinally adjusting the position of said first shaft with respect to said one of said members to vary the efi'ectof said spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Poor Dec. 12, 1950 

